Espanyol’s unbeaten run now stands at four games, thanks to an inspired display from goalkeeper Diego López, though they were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao, despite taking a first-half lead.
Bilbao came incredibly close to seizing the early initiative in this one, when Oihan Sancet raced through on goal. His effort was thwarted by Diego López, but Iker Muniain picked up the scraps and fired goalwards. Only the heroics of Leandro Cabrera kept the score level on that occasion, but Sancet was becoming a growing influence on the game, and López again came out on top later in the opening half, denying his dipping volley from the edge of the area.
The game was soon turned on its head, as Bilbao’s ‘curse’ in away H2Hs – as quantified by a goalless return in three of their preceding four visits to Espanyol – struck shortly after the half-hour mark. Mikel Vesga was adjudged to have handled in the box, and referee Miguel Ortiz pointed to the spot, allowing Raúl de Tomás to step up and slam the ball past Unai Simón, despite Bilbao’s goalkeeper diving the right way.
Cursed or not, Bilbao fought back and showed exactly why they began this match in the midst of their best start to a La Liga campaign. They found an equaliser shortly after the break, following some neat wing-work to get Iñigo Lekue to the line, and he retained his composure to square for Iñaki Williams, who tapped home his third league goal of the season. Sensing the prospect of defeat, Espanyol reverted to focusing on defence, and did enough to ensure that Bilbao have now failed to score more than a single goal in any of their last 13 away league matches.
Tensions boiled over in the dying moments, with de Tomás laying a headbutt on Yeray Álvarez, who only received a yellow for his part in proceedings. A draw sees Bilbao miss the chance to climb into the top four, but it wasn’t for the want of trying, with Alejandro Berenguer Remiro the final man to be denied by a stunning López save.
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